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The New Shul

Parshat Tzav/Shabbat Hagadol

This week’s parashah, Tzav, begins with the laws of the olah, the whole burnt offering that was sacrificed twice daily when the Temple stood. One detail of those laws was that, when the priests removed the ashes of the olah from the altar, they could not dispose of them just anywhere. They had to bring them to a place that was ritually pure.  Even the ashes remained holy.

Rabbi Yaakov of Ishbitza explained that those ashes are a metaphor for people who seem to have no spark of holiness left burning in them.  No matter how far from God we drift, the possibility of return is always there.  As images of God, we have a holiness that never leaves us.  We must never give up on the possibility that the embers can re-ignite.

A true spiritual community is a place of purity, where even those who feel farthest from God can find a home, and perhaps renew the spark of holiness inside them.  As we look toward Pesah, our season of rebirth, may we always trust in our potential for renewal.

  • Shabbat services at The New Shul are on Friday evenings from 6 to 7 pm, and on Saturday mornings from 9 am to 12 noon. The kiddush this Shabbat is sponsored by Linda and Jay Samuels.  This Shabbat afternoon, after kiddush, Linda will talk about her recent experience in Thailand, as a volunteer with American Jewish World Service.
  • Childcare is available from 10 am to noon on Shabbat mornings. Children’s services this Shabbat are: Munchkin MInyan for ages 2 to 4 from 11:00 to 11:30 am, Beyond Bim Bom I for grades K to 1 from 10:15 to 11:00 am, and Beyond Bim Bom II for grades 2 to 3 from 10:15 to 11:00 am.
  • Minyanim at The New Shul during the week are on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am, and on Wednesday mornings at 7:00 am.
  • Services for the first days of Pesah are on Friday evening April 6 at 6 pm, and on Shabbat and Sunday mornings, April 7 and 8, beginning at 9 am. Services for the last days of Pesah are on Friday morning April 13 at 9 am, Friday evening April 13 at 6 pm, and Shabbat morning April 14 at 9 am.  The service for the 8th day of Pesah, on April 14, will include Yizkor, the memorial prayer. The kiddushes on the first and last days of Pesah are sponsored by Lee and Patsy Bakunin.
  • Please note that there will be no e-newsletter for the next two weeks because of Pesah.  The next newsletter will be sent on April 19.